YVC Summer Camp Week 3 Recap: Health & Wellness

Campers sorting medical supplies for patients in developing countries during week two of Hands On Nashville’s 2015 YVC Summer Camp.

What does it mean to be healthy and well? What health-related issue are others struggling with in our community? During week three of Hands On Nashville’s YVC Summer Camp, a group of twelve high school students explored these questions through a series of service-learning activities.

To gain a broader understanding of health and wellness, campers discussed the stigmas attached to mental health disorders in our society during a presentation from Park Center. In addition, they learned how eating affects our health during an insightful conversation with the Eating Disorder Coalition of Tennessee, and even took an outdoor yoga lesson lead by Shine Nashville at a beautiful location overlooking the Nashville skyline. Campers also learned best practices for reading nutrition labels, and how to create plans and strategies to manage and eliminate stress in their daily lives.

Campers practicing yoga during week two of Hands On Nashville’s 2015 YVC Summer Camp. Special thanks to Lauren from Shine Nashville for showing us the ropes!

Each afternoon, campers traveled to Nashville nonprofits to lend a hand in support of the health and wellness of Nashvillians and citizens across the world. Campers cooked a meal for families and patients seeking respite from local hospitals at Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville. At Project C.U.R.E., the group sorted hundreds of pounds of medical supplies to be shipped to those in need of medical aid in developing countries. And at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville the group sorted thousands of donated pop-top tabs, which will be sold to recycling manufactures to raise funds for families and children receiving supportive care at the House.

Summer Camp participants cutting materials from jeans, plastic, and other up-cycled resources during a shoe cutting party for SoleHope. These materials will be crafted into shoes and sent to children in Uganda.

In addition, campers visited Soles4Soles where they sorted hundreds of new and donated shoes to protect the feet of children living in extreme poverty across the globe. The group also hosted a SoleHope “shoe cutting party”, where they prepared materials, like jeans and plastic, to be assembled into shoes. The finished shoes will be sent to protect the feet of children in Uganda from dangerous foot diseases and infections.

We hope each camper left the week feeling proud of the lasting impact they made for others at home and abroad, and will use some of the strategies discussed to lead a happy, healthy lifestyle.